Page 40 - Hospital Authority Convention 2017

Parallel Sessions Parallel Sessions
HOSPITAL AUTHORITY CONVENTION 2017

PS7.1 3D Printing in Medicine II 10:45 Theatre 1

“3D Printing” Helps Cardiologists Save More Lives
Chan JLK
Department of Medicine, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong
3D printing has become widely adopted in different industries, such as aviation, fashion design, and architecture, etc. Many
real-life applications of this new technology are being reported frequently. For example, 3D printed parts were used in over
400 GE90-94B engines for the new high-tech Boeing 777 aircraft; 3D printed footwears were created by different footwear
companies; and the world’s first 3D-printed office building was completed in Dubai in 2016. And this is no exception in the
medical industry. 3D printing has been successfully applied in the orthopaedic and dentistry practices both globally and
locally for years. The application of 3D printing in other medical specialties seems to be lagging behind, but this is not the
case. Advances in 3D printing in cardiology practice are beyond imagination – application ranges from printing customised
3D models for patients’ education, pre-procedural planning and even 3D bio-printing of tissues.

In the presentation, the experiences of applying 3D printing in the cardiology practice, specifically for structural heart
interventions will be shared. The presentation will also cover the process of building 3D printed models from patients’ specific
data and the application of 3D printed models in our current practice, including rehearsals for better pre-procedural planning
and treatment outcomes, as well as training and education. As the 3D printing technology goes more mature, we look forward
to the application of patient-specific heat valve implants in the near future.

PS7.2 3D Printing in Medicine II 10:45 Theatre 1

3D Model Planning and Patient-specific Orthopaedic Surgery
Wong KC
Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, Prince of Wales Hospital, Hong Kong

In traditional orthopaedic procedures, surgeons have to mentally integrate pre-operative 2D images and formulate a 3D
Wednesday, 17 May and surgical intervention on a patient-specific basis. With the mission of improving surgical accuracy and outcomes,
surgical plan. With advances in both medical imaging and computing programme, 2D axial images can be processed into
other reformatted views (sagittal and coronal) and 3D virtual models that are representing patients’ anatomy can be created.
By analysing the digital information under enhanced visualisation, surgeons can then make a more detailed planning
our department introduced computer navigation-assisted orthopaedic surgery in Hong Kong in 2002, and our team has
pioneered the technique for orthopaedic tumours since 2006.

In the last decade, 3D printing has undergone tremendous development and now has valuable applications in various fields
of medicine. Although reports on orthopaedic applications are limited, orthopaedic surgeons are increasingly utilising the
technology’s flexibility in objects manufacturing. This additive manufacturing allows fabricating custom objects with complex
geometries never possible previously with traditional subtractive manufacturing methods. These provide the potential for
significant patient benefits.

Our department has started developing the technology specifically for surgical applications since 2011. The 3D printing
techniques can generate models that give a better visual and tactile understanding of the complex anatomy and pathology
of individual patients. It aids in education and surgical training. Most importantly, it can produce patient-specific surgical
instruments and even sophisticated custom implants that are tailor-made to the surgical requirements.
As the clinical workflow of the 3D printing technology continues to evolve, orthopaedic surgeons should embrace the latest
knowledge of the technology and incorporate it into their clinical practice for patient-specific orthopaedic applications. This
presentation is to share our experience and the practical difficulties we encountered in this rapidly developing field; discuss
the potential advantages and limitations, and suggest the directions for future development.

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